As a great object of my work is to render it as serviceable as possible to my readers, I must not omit some cautionary remarks upon the tradespeople of Paris; an opinion has generally existed of their predisposition to overcharge the English, and in a great many instances it has been the case, when they first came over to France; an idea existed that they were extremely rich, and a bad feeling prevailed of making the wealthy pay: even amongst their own country people, they do the same, it is a common phrase with them, “Il est riche, alors faites-lui payer,” “He is rich, so make him pay,” and that system of calculating the weight of a person’s means and making the charge, accordingly, is still followed in a degree; even the government have in some measure encouraged the practice, no doubt from a good motive, which has prompted them at certain periods to enforce regulations, that some articles should be sold for less to the poor, such as bread, and other necessaries of life. Another circumstance caused the French to continue their impositions upon the English, their having been duped by the latter, and in many instances to a considerable amount, as amongst the crowds who came over, were many persons who were not very scrupulous with respect to paying their debts, to whom the French willingly gave credit, the English name at that period having stood extremely high in the estimation of the French, but having sustained several losses on account of their too great facility in giving credit, they determined to make such of the English as they could attract, pay a portion towards what they had been mulcted by their runaway country-people. The French are not alone in that respect, as some of the fashionable tailors in London charge an immense price for their coats, because they say they only get paid for two out of three, therefore they make those pay dearly for such as do not pay at all.